Door-catch.



D. T. SHOOK.

DOOR CATCH.

APPLICATION rum) APR.30, 1014.

1 1 20,095. Patented Dec. 8, 1914 q 2a F //1// 'T wuemtoz wmwmb THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PNOI'OJJTHKI. WASHINGTON. D. C

DALE T. SHOOK, OF GREENE, IOWA.

noon-canon.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application filed April 30, 191 .2. Serial No. 835,521.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DALE T. Snoon, citizen of the "United States, residing at Greene, in the county of Butler and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Catches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door catches and is especially designed for use in connection with barn doors or the doors of similar structures, and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character which will automatically engage the door upon the opening thereof to maintain it in open position.

The invention has as a further object to provide a door catch which may be operated from the interior of the structure to which the catch is connected to either release the door or to engage the door upon the opening thereof. And a still further object of the invention is to provide a door catch which will be simple in construction and efficient in operation and which may be readily applied for use in connection with doors as now commonly employed without the necessity of structural change in said doors.

WVith these and other objects in View my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved catch applied, Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the automatic operation of the catch when engaged by a door, Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the catch in engagement with the door, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the catch member and the bracket for supporting said member.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved door catch is especially designed for use in connection with barn doors or the doors of other similar structures wherein it is frequently desired to maintain the door in open position, but it is to be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to this application of the invention since my improved catch is equally applicable for use in many other adaptations. The catch is arranged upon the wall of the barn or other structure adjacent the door so that when the door is swung open the catch will automatically engage the free edge thereof.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown my improved catch applied. The catch may be formed of metal or other suitable material and includes a preferably substantially U-shaped catch member 10 having arms 11 and 12. The arm 11 is slightly longer than the arm 12 for a reason which will presently appear and the arm 12 is beveled upon its outer edge as shown at 13. The catch member 10 is arranged upon the wall of the barn or other-structure to engage the free edge of the door thereof when swung open as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and is pivotally mounted upon the bracket 14. The bracket 14 is preferably formed from a strip of suitable sheet metal bent adjacent its extremities to provide oppositely dis posed flanges 15 and the arm 11 of the catch member 10 is received between said flanges, being carried by a suitable pivot pin 16 which extends through apertures 17 formed in said flanges. The rear edge of the arm 11 of the catch member is preferably rounded as shown at 18 to permit the pivotal movement of the catch member upon the bracket 14.

Upon the opposite side of the wall, convcntionally shown at 19, to which the catch member 10 is applied is arranged a bell crank lever 20, such lever preferably including a short arm 21 and a long arm 22. The bell crank lever 2G is pivotallysupported by a bracket 23, similar in construction to the bracket 14 and is mounted directly opposite the catch member 10. The long arm 22 of the bell crank lever is arranged to extend rearwardly of the catch member-10 and is pivotally connected adjacent its outer extremity with the outer extremity of the catch member by a suitable link 24 which extends through an aperture 25 formed in the wall 19.

It will be observed that pivotal movement of the bell crank lever 20 will actuate the catch member 10 and connected with the short arm 21 adjacent its outer cxtrem' ity is preferably a cord or other flexible member 26 which passes through staples or other guides 27 being secured at its adjacent extremity near the door opening. By this construction, the catch member 10 may be operated from the interior of the structure to which the catch is applied to free the door. Thus a very handy and convenient device is provided and attention is called to the fact that my improved catch is automatic in its action in engaging the door when swung open. circumstances, the catch member 10 willb'e disposed in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings when engaged by the door when swung open, such position of the catch member being brought about by having previously been disengaged 'with the door. it will be noted that when the door is swung open, the adjacent face of the door will strike the adjacent extremity of the arm 11 of the catch member causing it to move pivotally within the bracket 1% to engage the door. In the event the catch member 10 is arranged in the position shown in Fig. 3 in the drawings, when the door is swung open to engage said member, the free edge of the door will strike the curved face 13 of the arm 11 of said catch member causing the catch member to-be moved rearwardly, the door in its swinging move-.

ment continuing to strike thearm '11 of said catch member to thus cause the automatic engagement of the member therewith as just above described.

Particular attention is called to the relative arrangement and disposition of the catch member 10 upon the bracket 14:. It will be observed that when the catch member is moved to open position to free the door, the rear curved edge 18 of said member, being eccentric totlie pivot pin 16, is so arranged asito frictionally engage the adjacent portion of the bracket 14:. The catch member is thus limited in its pivotal movement through such frictional engage ment when swung to free the door and is held thereby in open position where the free edge of the door may properly engage the long arm 11 of the catch member when the door is swung open. By this arrangement it will be observed that it is therefore impossible to actuate the catch member l0'to' free the door to a point where'said catch member would assume an inoperative position to be improperly engaged by said door when the door would be again swung open. Itwill also be observed that the frictional engagement ofthe arm 11 of the catch member with the bracket 14 when the catch member is moved to open position, also provides a means whereby the door may be cushioned when swung to open position to engage the catch member since the door in its swinging movement is caused to overcome the frictional engagement between the armll of the catch member and the bracket before the catch member will move to engage the door. This is obviously a decided feature of advantage in my invention in that the door is prevented from hanging when swung open to thus wrench the hinges Under ordinary wrd pull exerted by the door against said rm will come directly upon said pivot pin,

it is to be noted that my improved catch may be operated to close the door. A quick pull upon the cord 26 will cause the catch member to be moved rearwa-rdly bringing the arm' 11 thereof into engagement with the door which arm in'its pivotal movement will impart sufiicient swinging motion to the door to effect the closing thereof. This will be best understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings and it will therefore be seen that the catch is not only automatic in its operation to engage the door but may be caused to automatically close the door upon the releasing of the catch.

From the above description, it will be observed that I provide a very simple and eliicient structure for the purpose set forth such as may be readily applied without necessitating structural change in the door and which may be operated with equal facility from the interior of the structure to which theca-tch is applied as well as the 1. The combination witha support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a catch member p'ivotally mounted upon the support and arranged for operative frictional engagement therewith when swungto open position, said catch member beingarranged to engage the free margin ofthe closure when the closure is swung open and providing a cushioning means therefor.

2. The combination with a support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a catch member carried by, the support and arranged to engage the free edge of the closure when the closure is swung open,

said catch member being formed with a long arm and a short arm and having the long arm thereof pivotally connected with the support, said long arm being arranged to impart pivotal movement to the closure upon the actuation of the catch member.-

3. A device of the character described including support, a catch member pivotally mounted upon the support, said catch member including spaced arms, the arm arranged adjacent the support being longer than the opposite arm of said member and being formed with a rounded outer edge arranged to operatively engage the support frictionally upon the actuation of the catch member to open position.

4. The combination with a support of oppositely disposed brackets secured upon opposite sides of the support, each of said brackets being formed with oppositely disposed flanges, a catch member including spaced arms and having one of said arms pivotally mounted between the flanges of one of said brackets, the arm of the catch member arranged adjacent the support being longer than the opposite arm of said member, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted between the flanges of the bracket opposite the catch member, said lever being formed with a short arm and a long arm extending rearwardly of the catch member. a link pivotally connecting the long arm of the bell crank lever with said catch member, and flexible means connected to the short arm of the bell crank lever and adapted to pivotally move said lever in one direction.

5. The combination with a support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a catch member pivotally mounted upon the support and adapted to engage the closure when swung to open position, said catch member being formed with a curved face and being eccentrically mounted with relation to the support, wherebv said curved face will frictionally engage the support when the catch member is swung to free the closure.

6. The combination with a support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a catch member pivotally mounted upon the support and adapted to engage the closure when the latter is swung to open position, said catch member being eccentrically mounted upon the support,whereby the said member will frictionally engage the support when swung to free the closure.

7. The combination with a support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a catch member pivotally connected with the support, said catch member being adapted to engage the closure when the latter is swungto open position and being eccentrically mounted upon the support to frictionally engage the support when swung to free the closure, whereby to provide a cushioning means for the closure, upon the subsequent opening thereof.

8. The combination with a support having a closure hingedly connected thereto, of a pivotally mounted catch member arranged upon one side of the support and disposed to engage the closure when swung to open position, a pivotally mounted operating lever arranged upon the opposite side of said support opposite said catch member and disposed to move in the same plane with said catch member, and means extending through the support and connecting said lever and said catch member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DALE T. SHOOK.

Witnesses:

R. S. WVALKER, J. T. SKILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatcnta,

Washington, D. 0." 

